Chapter 10 Gu Beichen Versus the Kitchen

Tang Hui regretted everything the moment Gu Beichen entered the kitchen.

More specifically—

the outer sect public kitchen exploded three breaths later.

Smoke poured violently through the windows while several disciples screamed and fled the building in terror.

Tang Hui stood outside the entrance in stunned silence.

Beside her, Old Chen slowly removed his pipe from his mouth.

“…You brought the sword cultivator here?”

Tang Hui looked emotionally exhausted already. “In my defense, I underestimated the situation.”

Another loud bang erupted from inside the kitchen.

A disciple stumbled out coughing dramatically. “Senior Brother Gu shattered the cooking pot!”

“I barely touched it,” Gu Beichen’s voice replied calmly from inside.

Tang Hui covered her face.

It was still morning.

How had her life become this difficult already?

The surrounding outer disciples gathered nearby with expressions of deep excitement.

News that the famous Gu Beichen was learning to cook had spread through the sect with horrifying speed.

At this point, Tang Hui suspected cultivators communicated entirely through gossip.

“Move aside,” she muttered before marching into the kitchen.

The scene inside nearly caused spiritual damage.

One cooking pot had split cleanly in half.

Several vegetables lay scattered across the floor like victims of a sect battle.

Most concerning of all—

Gu Beichen stood in the center of the destruction holding a kitchen knife with the exact same expression he used while carrying a sword.

Tang Hui immediately understood the problem.

“Senior Brother,” she said carefully, “why are you holding the knife like that?”

Gu Beichen looked down at his hand. “…Incorrectly?”

“You’re gripping it like you’re about to assassinate someone.”

The nearby disciples instantly nodded.

One cook from the kitchen staff looked close to tears. “He sliced the cutting board in half.”

Gu Beichen frowned slightly. “The board quality was poor.”

“That is not the point.”

Tang Hui took a deep breath.

Calm.

Professionalism.

Emotional stability.

This was simply another matchmaking challenge.

A deeply cursed matchmaking challenge, but still manageable.

She walked toward the preparation table and pushed a basket of vegetables toward Gu Beichen.

“Start simple,” she instructed. “Cut these.”

Gu Beichen nodded once.

Then—

shhk.

Tang Hui blinked.

The vegetables disappeared.

Not cut.

Gone.

Reduced to microscopic pieces so fine they resembled spiritual dust.

The entire kitchen became silent.

Tang Hui stared at the ruined vegetables.

Then at Gu Beichen.

Then back at the vegetables again.

“…Senior Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you use sword intent on cabbage?”

Gu Beichen looked faintly puzzled. “The cuts needed precision.”

Several disciples physically turned away.

One whispered shakily, “This is terrifying.”

Tang Hui rubbed her forehead again.

Honestly, her future lifespan had probably shortened since meeting this man.

“No sword intent,” she said firmly.

“I understand.”

“No spiritual energy.”

Another nod.

“And stop treating ingredients like enemies of the Dao.”

Gu Beichen fell silent.

Tang Hui suddenly realized he genuinely might not understand the difference.

This was unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

After reorganizing the kitchen slightly, Tang Hui finally demonstrated proper cutting techniques herself.

“You hold the knife like this,” she explained while slicing vegetables normally. “Relax your wrist.”

Gu Beichen watched carefully.

Tang Hui handed him another knife cautiously.

“Now try again.”

This time, the vegetables survived.

Mostly.

The cuts remained uneven and slightly aggressive-looking, but at least the cabbage no longer resembled battlefield remains.

Tang Hui nodded approvingly. “Better.”

The surrounding disciples stared in shock.

The mighty Gu Beichen was obediently learning how to chop vegetables.

This scene alone could probably sell for spirit stones.

Actually—

Tang Hui narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

Interesting business opportunity.

No.

Focus.

Matchmaking first.

Profit later.

After another half hour of suffering, the kitchen finally looked slightly less catastrophic.

Gu Beichen stood beside the stove while Tang Hui supervised with the exhausted patience of someone training an extremely dangerous spirit beast.

“Alright,” she said carefully. “Now stir slowly.”

Gu Beichen nodded once.

Then immediately cracked the wooden spoon in half.

The kitchen staff collectively looked ready to cry.

Tang Hui closed her eyes briefly.

“How,” she asked softly, “did you break the spoon?”

“…I applied too much force.”

“You think?”

Several disciples burst into laughter.

Even Gu Beichen looked faintly dissatisfied with himself now.

Tang Hui noticed the expression immediately.

Honestly…

it was strangely sincere.

The man genuinely wanted to do well.

That made the situation harder to criticize.

After all, Gu Beichen was probably capable of mastering almost anything within the sect.

Swordsmanship.

Cultivation.

Combat.

Yet here he was, struggling against vegetables because he wanted to apologize properly to someone he liked.

Tang Hui suddenly felt a strange emotional conflict.

This was actually… kind of romantic.

Troublesome.

Very troublesome.

An hour later, Gu Beichen finally managed to complete a simple spirit herb soup without destroying kitchen property.

The surrounding disciples stared at the bowl with disbelief.

“It survived…”

“He actually cooked something…”

“I suddenly feel proud for some reason.”

Tang Hui cautiously examined the soup.

Appearance: acceptable.

Smell: normal.

Spiritual energy: slightly unstable, but survivable.

Honestly, this already exceeded expectations.

Gu Beichen looked at her calmly. “Will this suffice?”

Tang Hui hesitated.

Then she picked up a spoon and tasted it.

The kitchen instantly became silent.

Several disciples watched her with the tension of people observing a life-or-death trial.

Tang Hui swallowed slowly.

Then blinked.

Oh.

“…It’s actually good.”

The surrounding crowd exploded.

“Impossible!”

“Senior Brother Gu can cook?!”

“Why does heaven favor talented people so unfairly?!”

Even Gu Beichen seemed slightly surprised.

Tang Hui took another sip thoughtfully.

No, genuinely good.

Simple.

Clean flavor.

A little sharp somehow—

which honestly matched his personality perfectly.

Tang Hui lowered the spoon slowly.

“…Senior Brother.”

“Yes?”

“You’re annoyingly talented.”

The surrounding disciples sighed in collective agreement.

Gu Beichen himself remained calm, though Tang Hui noticed the faint easing in his expression again.

Interesting.

The man really was easier to read lately.

Tang Hui set the bowl down firmly. “Good. We proceed to the next phase.”

Gu Beichen nodded once. “Delivering the apology?”

Tang Hui pointed at him immediately.

“No.”

“…No?”

“Conversation practice.”

The surrounding disciples instantly became excited again.

Gu Beichen frowned slightly. “Is that necessary?”

Tang Hui stared at him with deep disbelief.

“Senior Brother,” she said carefully, “last time you spoke honestly to Lin Qingyue, she cried.”

The entire kitchen became silent again.

Gu Beichen did not argue further.